


Day Three Hundred Thirty-Seven || Time to ___

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [337]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Divorce, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-18 04:03:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21871441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Life is changing. Things won't ever be the same. It's time to move on.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Mikoto/Uzumaki Kushina
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [337]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Day Three Hundred Thirty-Seven || Time to ___

To say that he’s nervous is a bit of an understatement.

The past few months have been a blur, especially for someone only six years old, soon to be seven. It all started in the early Spring, when the quiet arguing between his mother and father began escalating, louder and meaner and scarier.

Itachi had been doing his best to shield his younger brother from the sad reality of a marriage falling apart. But between Fugaku’s unrealistic expectations and Mikoto’s want to raise her sons more gently, the boys were the ultimate point of contention. Fugaku couldn’t stand for her softening them and being ‘too allowing’, and Mikoto could no longer let him treat them so coldly and harshly. Either he could change his approach to parenting their sons, or she would take them and do it herself.

...in the end, she packed their bags and left.

It...wasn’t easy. They went from a rather lavish lifestyle to having to trim down their belongings to a few bags each. Mikoto’s elder sister took them in, Shisui quickly taking the boys under his wing and trying to help soothe the sting of their lives falling apart. His own father had died when he was young, and he knew what it meant to no longer have a father figure. Custody and visitation was still in the works, but for now...Mikoto had won a temporary declaration that said neither boy had to see their father if they didn’t want to.

Sasuke was...conflicted. He loved his father. Or at least, he knew he should. True, Fugaku had often be short-tempered. He was quick to scold, and often lost control of his volume...but he’d never laid a hand on them.

And yet...there was still a part of him that was...afraid. And he hated that: to be afraid of his own father. The psychology of it was just too complex for him to understand. So instead...Sasuke fell into a deep depression as his mother struggled to figure out what to do.

Mikoto was at her wits’ end. She’d known, from the beginning, it would come to this, even as she’d hoped it wouldn’t. She’d worked very briefly before meeting Fugaku as an elementary school teacher...but since marrying him, had been unemployed. Her savings were limited, her resume needed dusting, and all of the legal struggles and hardships were a lot for her to bear. She hated depending on her sister, as much as Manami insisted she was happy to do so. But the elder sister had her own struggles: a leg lost during her stint in the military, a deceased husband, and a boy only a few years Itachi’s senior to raise on her own.

She’d offered that doing so together would make it easier on all of them. Many hands would make for light work. But Manami’s house was small, the boys all stuffed in one room as Mikoto slept in the living room. And to arrange a move for all five of them was another stress Mikoto just...didn’t want.

...and then a saving grace: a phone call from an old friend.

Kushina had lost her husband soon after their son was born. A widow, she’d been juggling work and rearing Naruto on her own. But when she heard through the grapevine what her friend had gone through, she immediately offered to take the trio in herself. She had two empty bedrooms, a big backyard, and connections to the local school district that had all but guaranteed Mikoto a job, should she come in for an interview.

And that was how Sasuke, Itachi, and their mother came to move across the state once the divorce filing was over. A fresh start...for all of them.

Pulling into the proper street, Mikoto glances around warily. It’s actually...really nice. So much so that the nervous woman is a bit self conscious. The proceedings of leaving a rather well-off husband and ending up with little financially has her doubting herself. But she just has to pass an interview...and she’ll be teaching at her son’s school come Autumn. For now...she has a few months to settle, maybe get something part time in the interim...and make it all up to her boys.

“...all right...this is the address…” Pulling into the driveway, she finds the red van Kushina told her about. Parking and turning off the engine, she looks into the backseat where Itachi and Sasuke are seated. The elder is poker faced as usual, but Sasuke is clearly lethargic and despondent. Brow wilting, she murmurs, “...let’s go.”

Fetching Sasuke from his booster seat, she sets him down just as the front door opens. From within it streaks a blur of blond, coming to a stop a few feet away with wide blue eyes.

“You’re here!”

Mikoto gives a weary smile. “Hello, Naruto. I’m Mikoto, the friend Kushina told you about. This is my son, Sasuke...and his brother Itachi. I hope you’ll all become fast friends.”

As she speaks, the boys exchange glances, clearly sizing one another up.

But in the meantime, Kushina herself emerges with a wide grin. Before the other can object, she brings Mikoto in for a bone-crushing hug. “You made it safe and sound! I’ve been frettin’ all morning, lemme tell ya. But hey, I’ve got a surprise for you! All three of you. So I let it slip that you were coming, and that you could use a bit of a welcome. And a few other parents in the neighborhood agreed to all bring our tykes together in the park down the road so they can start making new friends! Y’know, have people to hang out with this Summer, and know before school starts in the Fall. How about it?”

Once freed from the redhead’s grip, Mikoto glances to her sons. Itachi looks a hair apprehensive...and Sasuke about ready to bolt. “Um...how many, exactly? I don’t want to overwhelm them.”

“Let’s see...Hiashi was gonna bring Hinata, Tsume has Hana and Kiba...I think Inoichi said Ino might be able to come if her ballet class doesn’t run too long. No more than ten, I’d guess. Some might be busy, they said it was iffy but they’d try. And it doesn’t hafta be today, we can arrange for another time.”

Heaving a breath, Mikoto lowers to a knee, a hand on each of her son’s shoulders. “...what do you think? Want to get to know some kids in the neighborhood?”

Itachi glances to his brother. “...can we maybe...settle in a bit, first? I’m a bit tired to go play right now...it was a long car ride.”

“Sure, sure!” Kushina assures them. “We’ll take a day or two for you to adjust, first. Naruto can keep you company until then! He’s a good kid. Just tell him to shuddup if he gets too rowdy.”

The brothers exchange a brief look as the blond steps up again.

“Hey! Wanna play in the sandbox in the backyard? I’ve got dinosaurs, like a arche...ar...like in a museum!”

Kushina snickers. “Archaeology, Naruto.”

“Yeah, that!”

“...you like dinosaurs, don’t you Sasuke?” Itachi gently offers. “Like mister Roary?”

Sasuke goes a light shade of pink, clearly not wanting to admit to having the plush. “...I like them okay…”

Taking that as permission, Naruto grins and takes his hand. “C’mon! I have to have the Stegosaurus, though...it’s my favorite! You can have the Tyrannosaurus Rex!”

“He knows so many dinosaur names, but not their field of study,” his mother muses with a grin, watching the trio retreat (or be dragged) to the backyard. But a glance to Mikoto shows her exhaustion, and she softens. “...here, let’s get you unloaded, and then you and I are going to do a _lot_ of catching up and wine drinking.”

“I can’t, I…”

“Oh, it’s fine. Just a little to help take the edge off. Honey, you look like you need it. Itachi’ll keep an eye on things, he’s a good kid. Believe me, by now I’ve gotten the yard as child-proofed as it can get. Naruto’s tested every nook and cranny until now.”

Unable to hold off Kushina’s insistence, Mikoto sighs and acquiesces.

Behind the house, Naruto is busy introducing the Uchiha brothers to all of his favorite dinosaurs. A plethora of plastic toys are scattered about, the dinos buried into the sandbox to be carefully (or...not so carefully) excavated like a true to life archaeologist.

“Okay! They’re all in the sand...now we dig ‘em up!” Naruto dutifully hands Sasuke a little shovel, one kept for himself. “...uh…” There’s a pause and a glance around. “...sorry Itachi, I only have two.”

“That’s okay. I’ll observe. You can show me all the dinosaurs you find,” the elder brother replies with a smile.

“Good idea!” Kneeling in the sand, Naruto quickly starts searching around for the toys.

Sasuke, however, hesitates, only moving in as Itachi gives him a look of encouragement. They manage to dig up all of the dinos, and then Itachi suggests a game: he’ll bury the toys, and whoever finds the most will win. They pass a few rounds, the boys mostly evenly matched, before the back door opens and draws their gazes.

Holding a wine glass, Kushina calls, “You guys mind having one more?”

Naruto frowns. “...huh?”

Stepping aside, Kushina reveals another child behind her: a girl about their age who looks rather unsure. “Hiashi didn’t get the memo and showed up with Hinata. He has to go run errands, so I said Hinata could stay for a while until he gets back. You guys okay with that?”

“Uh...okay.” Looking a bit put out at the interruption, Naruto watches as Hinata slowly enters the yard.

“Hello,” Itachi greets, wanting to be polite. “My name is Itachi. Kushina said yours is Hinata?”

“Y...yes…”

“It’s nice to meet you, Hinata. This is my brother, Sasuke. We just moved in to Naruto and Kushina’s house today.”

“You...m-moved here?”

“Yes. Do you live nearby?”

“...mhm…”

As Itachi makes contact, Naruto leans in to Sasuke conspiratorially. “She’s really weird…”

“Huh?”

“She is! Quiet, and never looks at people...never talks…”

Sasuke can’t help but frown. “...she just looks shy…”

Before Naruto can say much more, Hinata approaches. Hands fiddle, one thumb stroking over her knuckles as eyes seem to look everywhere but at them. There’s a subtle rocking back and forth, heels to toes. “C...can I play?”

“We only have two shovels,” Naruto offers. “Sorry.”

Sasuke glances over, and then holds out his shovel. “Here. Take mine.”

“But -?”

For a brief moment, Hinata’s eyes flicker up to Sasuke’s. In a matter of moments, something seems to be...conveyed between them. Like him, there seems to be some kind of...sorrow deep within her gaze.

...a loss.

But then it averts. After a pause, she ever so carefully accepts the shovel. “T...thank you.”

Naruto looks between them, clearly displeased. “...well then Sasuke can have mine! I...play with them all the time…”

“...why didn’t you just -?” Before he can ask, Sasuke watches as Naruto moves to the side, stubbornly holding out his shovel for Sasuke to take. Once he accepts, the blond sits beside Itachi.

...what is going on?

Hinata, behind him, begins carefully rummaging through the sand with her shovel. Left with little else to do, Sasuke joins her.

“Do you l...like dinosaurs?”

He glances up. “...yeah.”

“They’re kinda...kinda scary…”

“Some of them are. Did you know birds came from dinosaurs?”

“Birds…?” She mulls that over. “...I like birds.”

“Do you have a favorite?”

Another pause. “C...canaries. They sing p-pretty. Mama had - had a canary. She died...then the bird died. I think it m...missed her too much. It didn’t s-sing anymore...after that…”

Sasuke can’t help but pause. Her mother is…? “...I’m sorry.”

“...me too.”

Given a new degree of understanding, Sasuke continues his quiet play. He and Hinata carefully exhume the dinosaurs while Naruto - eventually getting bored - drags Itachi into playing with a soccer ball. While it’s rather clear the elder brother is taking it easy on him, Naruto goes all out, doing his best to get around Itachi to the goal along the fence.

But all good things must come to an end.

Two hours of play later, Kushina emerges from the back door again. This time, a man accompanies her.

“Hey kids! It’s time to say goodbye - Hinata has to go home now.”

“Aww…” Visibly wilting, Sasuke gives his new friend a glance. They’ve given up the dinos, and have moved to making a city in the sand.

“Don’t worry, she can come over again another time!” The redhead grins. “You guys getting along?”

“...yeah.”

Carefully, Hinata gets to her feet. “Thank you for...for playing with me.”

“Yeah, you too. I had fun, Hinata. I like our city. We’ll make a better one next time.”

For the second time, she lifts eyes to meet his. And then, a smile flickers across her face. “Y...yeah…!”

“Come on, Hinata - time to go,” Hiashi offers, holding out a hand. Hinata steps out of the sandbox, brushing herself off and following.

“We’ll see ya next time, Hinata,” Kushina offers, smiling. “Bye!” Watching her go, she then turns to the boys. “Dinner will be soon, so come in and wash up! I don’t want any sand in the house, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Itachi offers, already helping clear Sasuke of the substance. “...did you like Hinata?”

“...she’s nice.”

“It looked like you were getting along really well. I’m glad. Maybe we can see her again soon.”

“...I’d like that.”

Inside, Kushina sets her glass atop the counter. Mikoto is seated at the breakfast bar, her own glass empty. She looks a bit less distraught, watching as Kushina cooks. “...sure you don’t want any help?”

“Nah, I’ve got it. You just take a load of, ‘koto. It’s nice cooking for more than just us two!”

“I love to cook...I just haven’t had the energy…”

“Well, we’ll duo it one of these days, _after_ you recuperate a bit.” Leaving things to simmer, she takes a seat beside her friend with a thoughtful sigh. “...it’s gonna be okay, ‘koto. You’ll see. You an’ me? We can do this together. Single moms kick ass.”

That earns a snort. “...yeah. Thank you, Kushina...for doing all of this. I didn’t -”

“Shhh,” the redhead insists, going so far as to (a bit inaccurately) put a finger to Mikoto’s lips. “None of that. You were my best friend in high school. Yeah we kinda drifted, but...you’ll always be my best friend. No one knows you like I know you...or you know me. I knew I had to do it. We’ll get through it.”

All the while, a subtle heat builds in the Uchiha’s face. She chooses to blame it on the wine. “...yeah. It just...means a lot. I’m sorry I got so...distant.”

“Nah, life happens. And you were so…” A hand drifts in a circle trying to think of the right word. “...sucked in with Fugaku. I always thought he was a bit of a jerk, but...he made ya happy.”

“Yeah, well...as they say, when you’re wearing rose colored glasses...all the red flags just look like flags.”

“Ooh...I like that one. That’s a good one, I gotta remember that. But yeah...if he ever gives you another lick a’ trouble…” Kushina pounds a fist into a palm, suddenly seeming a good deal more sober. “...I’ll knock his block off. No one messes with my ‘koto and gets away with it.”

 _My…?_ Blinking, Mikoto pauses for a moment before brushing it off. “...well, I...think I hear the kids coming in. Want me to set the table -?”

“No! Nooo, you just sit right there. I don’t want you doing a _damn_ thing for at least like...three days.”

“Kushina -”

“Nope.”

“Kushiii…”

“I said no! You need time to just...relax. Take a load off. I’ll handle things until then. If I can keep my boy in line, yours’ll be a piece of cake.” Grinning, Kushina slips into the dining room and out of sight.

Leaning her elbows atop the bar, Mikoto buries her face in her hands...which is still warm. Oh, this is going to be interesting...

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my good golly this is late, but the last few days have just been...a massive headache irl. But I won't get into that~
> 
> I am...the biggest sucker for MikoKushi. KushiMiko. Whatever the ship name is. Ngl the biggest reason I did this one was for that sideplot xD They're just so CUTE! But of course we also have kiddo SasuHina goodness. And Itachi being best big bro. And Naruto being a brat, lmao - he'll grow out of it. Kids just have a hard time with what's different. Kushina will set him straight.
> 
> Anyway, it's...very late, and I barely slept last night, SO it's bedtime lmao - thanks for reading!


End file.
